iPod recycling program revives love of music for people with dementia

Publication date: 4 May 2018

Dozens of tech companies have recycling programs, offering users a way to put their old, discarded hardware back into the system for good use. Apple, Google, and Amazon, for example, all have pages dedicated to accepting any old gadgets you might have lying around.

But few of these recycling programs resemble Music & Memory, a non-profit dedicated to providing those in nursing homes or facilities with personalized music playlists on donated iPods or mp3 players.

Dan Cohen, a tech-focused social worker from Long Island, NY started the program in 2006 with just a laptop and two iPods, initially hoping to address the technology gap that disproportionately affects the elderly.